Saturday, October 30, 3021
Great weather for outdoor dining. A bit cool but no breeze. Dave and Louise invested in outdoor heaters and it made the whole evening very pleasant. These "alfresco" dinners are held in their backyard and limited to 30 people. Lights, umbrellas, candles make for a festive setting. Prix Fixe menu only. Tonight's dinner had no winemaker in attendance. A Rose and 3 red wines were served. This will be the last dinner until the weather warms up about May.
We started out with a Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Arugula and Toasted Pistachio Dressing. Exceptionally good. Served with a 2020 Gerard Bertrand "Cotes des Roses", Rose from Languedoc, France. Nice pairing and the bottle had a rose stamped into the bottom of the bottle. Would make a great stamp for cookies.
Second course is a Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Coq Au Vin. Good flavors. Paired with a 2019 Lapostolle "Cuvee Alexandre" Carmenere from Chile. A really nice wine and good pairing.
Up next is a Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Cipollini Onions and Roasted Squash Puree. Pork was very moist and tender. Louise sears the tenderloin on all sides then wraps in aluminum foil and it continues to cook in the foil. Does not put it in the oven. This something I am going to try because the meat was so moist. The wine is a 2020 Angeline, Mendocino County Pinot Noir. Again a very good pairing.
The entree is Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, Mushroom Farro Risotto and Roasted Yellow Carrots. Short ribs were very good but the farro risotto was outstanding. Served with a Michael Davis "Petite Petit" Petite Syrah from Lodi. Big wine, loads of flavor. Those of us at out table thought the Pinot and Petite Syrah should have been switched with the entree's. We all had wines left in our glasses and switched drinking them with the food. But a nice pairing also.
Dessert is Sticky Toffee Pudding, Salted Cardamom-Caramel Sauce and Warm English Custard. A nice ending to a very good dinner.
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